Container with screw out pouring spout and closure



CONTAINER WITH SCREW OUT POURING SFOUT AND CLOSURE Filed Dec'. 17, 1954 Invenkor:

CHHpn H. PhiHi S mw/iz/wm His A-Horney United States Patent CONTAINER WITH SCREW OUT POURING SPOUT AND CLOSURE Clifton H. Phillips, Demarest, N. 1., assignor to Shell Development Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 17, 1954, Serial No. 475,863

6 Claims. (Cl. 222-520) This invention relates to containers for fluids, such as oils or chemicals, and is more particularly concerned with the construction of the spout and closure therefor, and with the arrangement of such spout and closure in relation to the outline of the container so as to insure that the container has good warehousing and stacking characteristics.

Containers for liquids, such as the common two-gallon tinned sheet metal cans, are usually provided with a nozzle extending upwards from the top wall about a discharge opening, the nozzle being embossed to provide screw threads for engagement with a closure cap; in most instances also a rigid strap handle is fixed to the top wall. The closure cap and handle extend above the plane of the top of the marginal chime, so that it is diflicult to package, stack and warehouse such cans, both from the point of view of waste of space and because the protruding nozzle and handle carry all of the stress between touching containers which results in deformation of the top wall of the container and often in leakage at the base of the nozzle where it is soldered to the top wall. Prior containers which avoided such protruding elements have been subject to certain drawbacks that have prevented their commercial use in quantity, including difliculties in effecting good pouring characteristics and dependable seals at the pouring spout, as well as complexity and high cost of construction.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved container for liquids having a discharge opening in the top thereof and a pouring spout and closure associated with said opening that are substantially flush with the said 2,772,822 Patented Dec. 4, 1956 "ice Another object is to provide an improved container of the character described to which a tamper-proof seal may be attached above the closure as indicated above.

A further object is to provide an improved container of the character described and an improved pouring sprint and closure combination that is simple and can be constructed and assembled at low cost.

Still further objects will become apparent from the following description.

In summary, the top of the container includes a top wall having an opening and an internally threaded nozzle extending from the said wall about the opening; a tubular pouring spout is movably secured within the nozzle with external screw threads and has a peripheral, flexible seal flange above the said top; and a closure that is threadedly engaged by screw threads within the pouring spout and has a rim pressing the seal flange against the said top, a

warehousing characteristics. A specific object is to provide an improved sheet metal can having a top wall with a chime that extends only slightly above the inner portion of the walla-dvantageously not more than about 0.1 to 0.3 inchwherein the pouring and sealing appurtenances are all situated below the plane of the top of the chime.

Another object is to provide a container for liquids having in the top thereof a discharge opening and a movable pouring spout having a part thereof extending into said opening, e. g., one with a pouring lip and/or one which can be extended upwardly into pouring position, wherein simplified sealing means are provided including a peripheral seal flange on the spout overlying the outside of the said top for sealing engagement therewith and an inverted or plug type seal cap also extending into said opening and having a rim overlying the said seal flange for sealing engagement therewith and to force the said flange against the top of the container. The top of the container herein referred to may be the top wall of the container or some other part that is an element of the top and is preferably in substantially flush relation to the fluid-tight seal being provided on both the upper and lower faces of the seal flange. The underside of the seal flange may bear on whatever part of the container top is situated immediately beneath it, e. g., the said top wall or a rim of the nozzle, depending upon the manner in which the nozzle is attached. According to a preferred embodiment constituting a special feature of the invention, the pouring spout is formed integrally with the seal flange and these parts are made of a high modulus elastomer, whereby the said seal can be effected without the use of seal gaskets. Examples of such elastomers are polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, the copolymer of vinyl chloride with vinyl acetate, polyvinylidine chloride, the copolymer of polyvinylidine chloride with vinyl chloride and vulcanized rubber. According to still another feature the top wall has means, such as an upstanding flange, preferably integral with the rim of the nozzle, surrounding the said seal flange for retaining a tamper-proof seal cap.

The container of improved warehousing characteristics includes the closure arrangement described in the foregoing paragraph, the nozzle being in this case mounted to extend downwardly into the container. By using a closure with a reasonably thin rim, the seal flange and closure, as well as the tamper-proof seal cap, when used, can all be made to lie below the top plane of the marginal chime of the top although the latter extends only slightly above the top wall of the container.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and showing certain preferred embodiments thereof by way of illustration, wherein the drawing is a vertical sectional view of a portion of a container showing a form of the spout and closure. Reference is made to the drawing.

The container top wall 12, which is joined to the side wall 10 by a rolled chime 15, carries a sheet metal nozzle 50 that is embossed to provide screw threads, a top mount ing flange 51 situated on top of the wall 20, and a retaining element, here embodied in a flaring, upstanding retaining flange 52. The nozzle is secured by soldering or otherwise connecting the flange 51 to the wall 12 to provide a hermetic seal. A locking ring 61 is advantageously secured to the nozzle to bear against the underside of the wall 12. The flange 51 is thus an element of the container top and in substantially flush relation to the top wall 12. A venting tube 23 extends through the wall 12 and flange 51.

The pouring spout 53, which is made of an elastomer of the type previously described, has a tubular body portion that is externally threaded along its full length between the bottom retaining lip 54 and the top peripheral seal flange 55 to engage the threads in the nozzle. It has further internal threads, which may be formed only at the top, as shown, and a drain hole 56, which can be aligned with a drain hole (not shown) formed in the nozzle just below the wall 12. The flange 55 overlies the nozzle flange 51. The closure cap 57, which is of the inverted or plug type, is in.this embodiment also made of an elastomer and-has external threads in the :shank portionfor. engagement with the internal threadsron' the spout andva rim 53 that overlies the flange 55. It is necessary that the spout sealing flange 55 be sufliciently pliable and the .cap. rim 58. sutficiently. stiff-to achieve a seal= on both the upper and lower faces of the flangeSSby pressing the latter against the nozzle flange 51. These require ments are satisfied by making the. cap. rim slightly thicker than the spout flange, as shown, when. made of the same elastomeric material. .The cap has depressions 59 for applying a. closing tool.

A tamper-proof seal cap 60 is applied to the retaining flange 52 by a special sealing tool and constructed to make removal impossible without deliberate destruction of the cap, whereby undesired tampering, pilferage or substitution of contents is improbable.

I' claim' as my invention:

1. A container for fluid comprising a top having a discharge opening therein; a nozzle fixed to said top about said opening and forming a part thereof, said nozzle having internal screw threads; a pouring spout having a tubularpart with external and internal screw threads situated Within and in threaded engagement with said nozzle for movement relative thereto and having a peripheral, flexible seal flange extending laterally outwards from the tubular part in sealed relation thereto and situated above said top for sealing engagement therewith when the spout is retracted within the nozzle; an inverted type closure.

having a shank with external screw threads situated within and in threaded engagement with the said tubular part of the spout and having aperipheral rim extending laterally beyond the shank and over said seal flange for sealing engagement therewith and for urging said seal flange down against the top and a retaining element fixed to said top extending upward about the said seal flange and a tamper-proof seal cap over said closure engaged to said retaining element.

2. A container according to claim 1 wherein said pouring spout has a lip integral with said tubular part thereof extending-laterally outwards under the bottom of said nozzle for engagement with the bottom of the nozzle to limit the upward movement of the spout.

3. A container according to claim 1 whereinv said pouring spout is symmetrical abouta horizontal plane, whereby it has a peripheral flange-at each. end, saidflanges being integral with the said tubular part and'said pouring spout being made of elastically deformable material, whereby one of said flanges can be inserted through the nozzle by temporary deformation thereof, said one flange extending laterally outwards under the bottom of the said nozzle for engagement with the bottom thereof to limit the upward movement of the spout.

4. A container for fluid comprising a substantially flat top having a discharge opening therein; a nozzle fixed to said top about said opening and forming a part thereof, said nozzle having internal screw threads and extending downwardly from the top'into the container; a pouring spout havi-nga tubularpart with external and internal screw .threads situated within and in threaded engagement with said nozzle for movement relative theretoand having a peripheral flexible seal flange at the upper extremity thereof extending laterally outwards and in sealed relation to said .tubular; part, said seal flange being in sealing engagement with said top in substantially flush relation thereto when the spout is fully retracted within the nozzle; an invertedttype closure having a. shankwith an:external. screwthread situated within andin threaded engagement, withthesaid tubular part of the spout and having -a.p.eripheral rim extending laterally beyond the shank. and over said seal flange for sealing engagement therewith and for urging .said seal flange down against the top, a tamper-proof seal cap over said closure, said nozzle having a peripheral mounting flange and means for retaining said seal cap in position, said mounting flange constituting an annularpart of said top that is essentially flush with other parts of the top, said seal flange being above and in sealing relation to said annular part and said means for retaining said seal cap being situated outside the periphery of said seal flange and extending upwards from said top.

, 5. A container according to claim 4 wherein said pouring spot is integral with said seal flange and both are made of a high moduluselastomer, the lower face on the rim of'said closure and the part of the top in engagement with the underside of the seal flange being of metal, whereby the seal flange of itself eflects a seal both on the upper and lower faces thereof.

6. A container according to claim 4 wherein said pouring spent and closure are both made of a 'high modulus elastomer, the said seal flange being integral to the spout and of like material and the said rim being integral to the cap'an'd also of like material;

ReferencesCited' in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 539,003 Henry May 7, 1895 1,328,881 Lazarus Jan.- 27, 1920 1,554,410 Cooke Sept. 22, 1925 2,574;990 Waite. Nov. 13, 1951 

